U.S. patent number 4,589,884 [Application Number 06/721,501] was granted by the patent office on 1986-05-20 for process for heat treating textile substrates to give colored pattern.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Milliken Research Corporation. Invention is credited to Michael W. Gilpatrick.
United States Patent |
4,589,884 |
Gilpatrick |
May 20, 1986 |
Process for heat treating textile substrates to give colored
pattern
Abstract
A method is disclosed for heat treating textile substrates
wherein a substrate may be dyed in pattern configuration and,
optionally, thermally modified to produce visual surface effects in
the pattern areas in perfect registry. Dye is applied to the
textile substrate, and optionally dried, without being fixed. Heat
is selectively applied in pattern configuration to the substrate.
The heat is sufficient to fix the dye in pattern configuration, at
a pre-determined level of fixation, and may also be sufficient to
cause thermal shrinkage or other thermally-induced physical
modification to the substrate, also in pattern configuration.
Unfixed dye may then be removed, leaving a pattern-dyed substrate
which, optionally, may have physically modified areas in perfect
registry. A mixture of dyes having different fixation energy levels
may be used for multiple color effects.
Inventors: |
Gilpatrick; Michael W.
(Chesnee, SC) |
Assignee: |
Milliken Research Corporation
(Spartanburg, SC)
|
Family
ID: |
27045303 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/721,501 |
Filed: |
April 10, 1985 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
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476829 |
Mar 18, 1983 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
8/481; 8/115;
8/485; 8/486; 8/487; 8/497; 8/922; 8/924; 8/927; 8/933 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D06B
11/0093 (20130101); D06P 1/0096 (20130101); D06P
5/2077 (20130101); D06Q 1/08 (20130101); Y10S
8/924 (20130101); Y10S 8/927 (20130101); Y10S
8/922 (20130101); Y10S 8/933 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
D06P
1/00 (20060101); D06Q 1/08 (20060101); D06P
5/20 (20060101); D06Q 1/00 (20060101); D06B
11/00 (20060101); D06P 005/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;8/481,485 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Clingman; A. Lionel
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Fisher; George M. Petry; H.
William
Parent Case Text
This is a continuation of Ser. No. 476,829 filed Mar. 18, 1983 and
abandoned.
Claims
I claim:
1. A method for dyeing the surface of a thermoplastic textile
substrate in areas defining a desired pattern configuration
comprising the steps of:
(a) applying, substantially uniformly, a heat fixable dye material
to said substrate surface without fixing said dye; and
(b) applying heat selectively to said substrate surface in said
areas defining said desired pattern configuration, said heat being
sufficient to fix at least a portion of said dye material in said
areas, while dye material applied to said substrate surface outside
said areas is maintained outside said areas in substantially
unfixed condition and unchanged distribution.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein unfixed dye material is removed
from said substrate surface as a final step.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein said dye material is applied in
liquid form.
4. The method of claim 3 which further comprises the step,
following the application of said dye material to said substrate
and prior to the fixing of said dye material, of drying said
substrate surface to a substantially dry condition while leaving
said applied dye material on said substrate surface in
substantially uniformly distributed and substantially unfixed
condition.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein said heat is applied to said areas
non-uniformly.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein said heat applied to said
substrate surface in said areas defining said desired pattern
configuration is sufficient to permanently thermally modify said
substrate surface in at least portions of said areas.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein said heat is sufficient to
substantially longitudinally shrink components of said substrate
surface.
8. The method of claim 6 wherein said heat is sufficient to melt
portions of components of said substrate surface.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein said heat applied to said
substrate surface in said areas defining said desired pattern
configuration is applied by selective impingement by a stream of
heated fluid.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the temperature of said heated
fluid applied to said areas is varied in accordance with pattern
information.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein said heat applied to said
substrate surface in said areas defining said desired pattern
configuration is applied by a laser.
12. The method of claim 4 wherein said heat generated on said
substrate surface in said areas defining said desired pattern
configuration is applied by a heated mass pressed against said
substrate surface in said areas.
13. A method for dyeing the surface of a thermoplastic textile
substrate in areas defining a desired pattern configuration
comprising the sequential steps of:
(a) applying, substantially uniformly, a component mixture of two
heat fixable dye materials, one of said component dye materials
having a distinctly lower fixation energy level than the other of
said component dye materials, without fixing either of said dye
materials;
(b) applying heat to said substrate surface in selected of said
areas comprising said desired pattern configuration, said heat
being sufficient to fix a quantity of said dye materials having
said lower fixation energy level without fixing to a significant
degree said other of said component dye materials, and;
(c) applying heat to said substrate surface in selected other of
said areas comprising said desired configuration, said heat being
sufficient to fix a quantity of both.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein unfixed dye material is removed
from said substrate surface as a final step.
15. The method of claim 13 wherein said dye materials are applied
in liquid form.
16. The method of claim 15 which further comprises the step,
following the application of said dye materials to said substrate
and prior to the fixing of either of said dye materials, of drying
said substrate surface to a substantially dry condition while
leaving said applied dye material on said substrate surface
substantially uniformly distributed and in substantially unfixed
condition.
17. The method of claim 13 wherein heat is applied substantially
uniformly to said substrate surface carrying said dye materials,
said heat being sufficient to fix one of said dye materials at a
substantially uniform level of fixation over said substrate
surface.
18. The method of claim 13 wherein said heat is applied to said
areas non-uniformly.
19. The method of claim 13 wherein said heat applied to said
substrate surface in said areas defining said desired pattern
configuration is sufficient to permanently thermally modify said
substrate surface in at least portions of said areas.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein said heat is sufficient to
substantially longitudinally shrink components of said substrate
surface.
21. The method of claim 19 wherein said heat is sufficient to melt
portions of components of said substrate surface.
22. The method of claim 13 wherein said heat applied to said
substrate surface in said areas defining said desired pattern
configuration is applied by selective impingement by a stream of
heated fluid.
23. The method of claim 22 wherein the temperature of said heated
fluid applied to said areas is varied in accordance with pattern
information.
24. The method of claim 13 wherein said heat applied to said
substrate surface in said areas defining said desired pattern
configuration is applied by a laser.
25. The method of claim 16 wherein said heat generated on said
substrate surface in said areas defining said desired pattern
configuration is applied by a heated mass pressed against said
substrate surface in said areas.
Description
This invention relates to a process for dyeing textile substrates
in a pattern configuration. In one embodiment thereof, this
invention relates to a process for simultaneously dyeing and
thermally modifying components of a textile substrate in a pattern
configuration, and in substantially perfect registry.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various techniques are known for dyeing a textile substrate in a
pattern configuration. For example, it is well known that textile
substrates may be dyed in a pattern configuration using a heat
transfer printing process. In such processes, heat-sublimable dyes
may be arranged in a pattern on an inert sheet such as paper. The
paper is then brought into close association with the substrate
surface to be dyed under conditions of heat and pressure. The dye
sublimes and is transferred to the substrate in the vapor phase,
where it condenses and is absorbed into the fibers comprising the
substrate.
Using another technique, U.S. Pat. No. 3,619,103, to Williams, et
al. describes a process for producing heat-induced effects on
textiles or the like by means of one or more heated rollers.
According to the teachings of Williams, et al., migration, heat
fixation, and development of dyes on a textile substrate may be
greatly accellerated through the use of such roller. The process of
Williams et al., however, relates to a process wherein dye
migration from one portion of the substrate to another is employed
as the primary means to achieve a desired pattern. As a result of
the liquid phase migration phenomenon, patterning the face of a
fabric necessarily involves the patterning back of the fabric as
well, and pattern areas tend to exhibit slightly "fuzzy" or
indistinct edges. Also, large expanses of dyed fabric exhibit an
"edge effect", wherein the edge of the dyed area contains more dye
than the interior of such area, making such areas exhibit light and
dark variations of the color rather than a single, uniform color.
Furthermore, Williams, et al. does not suggest that an unpatterned
textile substrate may be applied with dye in a pattern
configuration and, substantially simultaneously, the dye in the
dyed areas fixed, without the need for an additional process step.
The process of Williams, et al. is also somewhat limiting in the
sense that the substrate must generally be wet or have a high
moisture content to permit patterning, and the time required by
Williams, et al. for the preferred source of heat, i.e., the
roller, to transfer sufficient heat to the substrate to initiate
appreciable migration is relatively slow when compared to the
process of the invention disclosed herein.
Processes which utilize the localized application of heat to impart
a visual surface effect on a textile substrate are also common.
Embossing techniques in which a heated roll or other heated member
is pressed against the surface of a textile substrate in order to
impart various visual surface effects such as surface sculpturing
are well known in the art. As an example of patterning by means of
heated air, U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,156 to Greenway, et al. discloses
an apparatus for heat-treating the surface of a textile substrate
by the pattern-wise application of a heated fluid such as air from
selected locations along a slot in an elongate manifold, the fluid
containing sufficient thermal energy to shrink or otherwise
permanently thermally modify the visual appearance of the substrate
in those areas contacted by the fluid. It is believed this
technique results in a much more uniform heat treatment of the
substrate as a result of, among other things, superior heat
transfer to the individual yarns comprising the substrate surface.
Under many circumstances, however, a higher degree of visual
contrast in the thermally modified areas is desired than is
commonly obtained using this technique.
It is also desirable under some circumstances to modify the color
or hue of the areas contacted by the heated fluid streams, relative
to the color or hue of the background. Differential dyeing
techniques, wherein a substrate comprising synthetic fibers is
initially heat treated to modify the quantity of dye later adsorbed
by the treated fibers in a post-treatment dyeing step, are known in
the art. Patterning the substrate using this technique has
significant disadvantages, however. It is extremely difficult to
obtain a dyed pattern appearing on a substantially undyed
background using conventional differential dyeing techniques,
making such techniques commercially impractical where, for example,
a pattern using bright or dark colors is intended to appear on a
substantially white or undyed background. The process of this
invention can generate such commonly-required pattern combinations
easily, and without the need for any printing step. Additionally,
such differential dyeing techniques present a substantial
difficulty in observing or inspecting the pattern areas for quality
control purposes before the fabric is dyed. Prior to dyeing, some
textile fabrics, when pattern-wise heat treated sufficiently to
change significantly the degree of dye take-up in those heat
treated areas, exhibit little visual contrast between the treated
and untreated areas, making it extremely difficult to observe, and
therefore inspect, the pattern areas prior to the dyeing step. The
process of this invention eliminates this problem by applying the
dye to the fabric prior to the patterning step rather than
following such step. The dye which has been subjected to heat
appears visually different than, and often darker than, dye which
has had no such heat exposure, thereby making the heat treated
areas readily visible during the patterning step.
Described herein is a novel process for patterning textile
substrates wherein selected areas having enhanced contrast or a
multi-tone pattern effect may be generated by the local,
pattern-wise application of heat to areas of the substrate wherein
one or more dyes have been applied. This process may also be
employed where simultaneous dyeing and sculpturing, in perfect
registry, is desired. This process overcomes the disadvantages
recited above in connection with alternative dyeing processes.
Further details of the process of this invention may be understood
after reading the following description and referring to the
accompanying Figures, in which
FIG. 1A is a process flow diagram for applying a dyed pattern, with
an undyed background, to an undyed substrate;
FIG. 1B is a process flow diagram for applying a dyed background to
the pattern product of the process of FIG. 1A.
FIG. 2 is a process flow diagram for applying a dyed pattern, with
a dyed background of a lighter variation of the same color as the
pattern, to an undyed substrate. This process is not a part of this
invention.
FIG. 3 is a process flow diagram for applying a dyed pattern in two
colors to an undyed substrate.
DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1A summarizes the process steps by which one embodiment of
this invention may be practiced. In this embodiment, an appropriate
dye is applied to an undyed textile substrate comprised of a
thermoplastic material, such as a textile fabric made from fibers
of polyester, acrylonitrile, nylon 6, nylon 6,6, etc. Appropriate
dyes for this purpose are considered to be those dyes which would
customarily be used to dye such materials in conventional dyeing
processes. The dye may be applied by means of a gravure or foam
coating operation, by spraying, or by other conventional means for
applying an appropriate dye to the desired textile substrate. It is
generally preferred that the dye be applied uniformly if
consistent, reproducible results are desired. The fabric may then
be allowed to dry, preferably without exposure to elevated
temperatures, although such drying may be considered optional. The
amount of residual moisture left in the substrate may be adjusted
to suit the specific process, and may be somewhat dictated by, for
example, the means by which heat is applied to the substrate to fix
the desired quantity of dye in a later process step. Additional
moisture in the substrate may require the application of additional
heat to achieve the desired dye fixation level or state of thermal
modification of the substrate surface. It should be emphasized that
the process of this invention does not require that the dyed
substrate remain wet or be capable of permitting liquid phase
migration of the dye over the substrate surface. It is considered
an important advantage of this invention that the substrate, after
being substantially uniformly dyed, may be dried and then shipped
or stored for patterning at a later time or place.
If an undyed background is desired, it is important that the dye is
dried, and the substrate handled or stored, under conditions which
do not fix any part of the applied dye. For example, in dyeing
polyester using disperse dyes, drying at temperatures less than
about 220.degree. F. or so have been found to be generally
satisfactory, although lower temperatures may be found necessary
under certain conditions. It should be understood, however, that
certain dye systems do not depend upon elevated temperatures to
"fix" in certain substrate materials, i.e., mere contact of the dye
with the substrate may be sufficient to cause at least partial
fixation of the dye on the substrate. In these cases, of course,
maintaining an undyed background would require altogether avoiding
contact between the dye and the areas of the substrate which are to
remain undyed. See, e.g., Examples 1 and 3.
In the sense used herein, the term "fix" and its derivatives (e.g.,
"fixation") are intended to relate to the entry of the dye molecule
into the individual constituent fibers or components of the
substrate to a sufficient degree to render the dye associated with
those fibers relatively light-fast and wash-fast. Reference to a
"fixation level" as that term is used herein is intended to mean
the relative quantity of dye which has been fixed on a specified
area of the substrate. Areas in which large numbers of dye
molecules per unit area of substrate surface have been fixed
therefore may be said to have a high dye fixation level.
Conversely, areas having a relatively small quantity, per unit area
of substrate surface, of dye which has been fixed may be said to
have a low dye fixation level. Generally, areas of relatively high
dye fixation levels will appear visually darker or more saturated
when compared with areas of relatively low dye fixation levels,
assuming the process began with a white or light colored substrate
and the same dye is used in all areas. After the dye solution has
been allowed to dry, the substrate is then treated by the
localized, pattern-wise application to the substrate surface of
sufficient heat to fix a desired quantity of dye in the areas
intended to carry the pattern.
Following this localized dye fixing process, the substrate may be
washed in a cold wash to remove substantially all the unfixed dye
in those areas not contacted by the heat. This may result in a
textile substrate which carries a pattern area containing a
pre-determined quantity or concentration per unit area of a fixed
dyestuff which is viewed against a background or
pattern-complementary area of the substrate which has not been dyed
to any visually significant degree. It has been found that the
process of this invention can yield background or
image-complementary areas which contain no visually apparent
residual dye level.
An optional scouring step is indicated in FIG. 1A. This step may be
employed to clean the fabric, if desired.
It is also possible to pattern areas by both dyeing the pattern
area and by inducing a thermally induced modification (e.g.,
inducing longitudinal shrinking, or localized minor melting or
fusing, or pile yarn entangling) to at least some of the
constituent fibers in the same pattern area. Where dyeing is to be
combined with one or more of these other thermally induced effects,
sufficient heat must be transferred to and absorbed by the
substrate to produce two effects: (1) physical modification of the
textile substrate surface as, for example, by substantially
shrinking the yarn components of the substrate, by initiating
limited melting of the yarn components, or by other
thermally-induced physical changes to the constituent fibers or
elements of the textile substrate, and (2) the fixing of the
desired quantity of dye to a desired, pre-determined level, the dye
having been applied and optionally dried in the previous steps of
the process, described above. These two effects are achieved
substantially simultaneously so far as the process steps of this
invention are concerned, and are, of course, localized to those
areas of the substrate where the heat has been directed in pattern
configuration. Therefore, the physical modification to the
constituent textile components of the substrate and the fixing of
the dye applied to the substrate lie in exact registry, each having
been the result of the same localized application of heat.
FIG. 1B summarizes additional process steps which define an
embodiment of this invention in which it is desired to dye the
background areas a different color from that of the pattern areas.
As may be seen from FIG. 1B, the process steps are the same as
those of the process of FIG. 1A, except that, following the cold
wash step or the optional scouring step, the substrate is dyed in a
conventional manner, followed by conventional post-dyeing finishing
steps, e.g., washing, etc. By the process of FIG. 1B, a substrate
having a dyed pattern of a given color viewed against a background
of a second color may be produced. Because the second dyeing step
will deposit dye on the entire substrate, including previously dyed
pattern areas, some care must be exercised to assure that the final
resulting color of the pattern areas as well as the background is
that which is desired.
It should be noted that a previously dyed substrate may be dyed in
a pattern configuration using the same process steps depicted in
FIGS. 1A or, if desired, 1B. The result of the process of FIG. 1A
is, for example, a patterned substrate in which the pattern,
appearing in the color resulting from the application of dye in
process block 10, is viewed against a background of the color
displayed by the initial, unpatterned substrate prior to the
application of dye in process block 10. If the process of FIG. 1B
is employed, the original color of the substrate will influence the
color obtained after each of the dye steps depicted in blocks 10
and 18.
FIG. 2 schematically depicts a process, not an embodiment of this
invention but rather independently developed and included herein
only to facilitate full disclosure of the instant invention, in
which a textile fabric is transformed into a dyed, pattern fabric
in which the pattern areas of the substrate are a pre-determined
color, and the background or pattern-complementary areas of the
substrate are a color which results from fixing a quantity of the
same dye as that residing in the pattern areas, but at a fixation
level substantially different from the fixation level of the
pattern area. If a red dye is used to pattern a previously undyed
substrate, for example, the resulting pattern substrate may show a
red pattern area against a pink (i.e., red dye fixed at a lower
level) background. If a substrate which had been previously dyed a
light or pale yellow were used in the above example and the
fixation levels in the pattern areas is high, the same process
steps may yield a substantially red pattern against an orange
(i.e., yellow plus pink dye) background.
The process steps of FIG. 2 include process block 24, in which the
applied dye is heated, in a controlled, uniform manner, to fix the
dye at a relatively low, uniform level and establish the desired
background color. Additional, local heating, either immediately or
later, in a pattern configuration, as depicted in process block 26,
fixes to a higher level the partially fixed dye on the substrate in
the appropriate pattern areas, and thereby establishes a visually
darker or more saturated color in the pattern area when compared
with the background or pattern-complementary area. If desired, this
pattern-wise application of heat may preceed the uniform heating
step.
Another embodiment of the process of this invention is depicted in
FIG. 3. In the process of FIG. 3, a mixture of two dye materials of
different colors and having substantially different dye fixation
energies (e.g., requiring substantially different amounts of heat
energy to achieve a given fixation level) may be applied
simultaneously. The initial pattern-wise application of heat, in
block 34, is of a sufficiently low temperature and/or for a
sufficiently short duration to assure that most or substantially
all of the dye fixed by this step is that having the lower dye
fixation energy. The level at which this dye is fixed may of course
be controlled in accordance with the desired pattern. Following
this step, a second step (process block 36) involving the
pattern-wise application of heat, perhaps in a different pattern
configuration, is performed, at somewhat higher temperatures and/or
for a longer duration. This second step is intended to fix all or a
portion of the dye having the higher dye fixation energy in the
desired pattern areas, and will of course fix additional quantities
of the dye having the lower fixation energy which may be found in
those same areas. The result is a dyed substrate which may contain
a variety of different colors, depending upon the initial color of
the substrate, the colors of the chosen dyes, and the distribution
of the heat energy over the substrate surface which is applied
during each of the steps. The heat may not only be applied to
different pattern areas at each heating step, but the heat may be
non-uniformly applied within a given pattern area at each step,
resulting in pattern areas in which a given dye has been fixed at
different levels of fixation, or in which the substrate has been
thermally modified to different degrees.
It is also recognized that combinations of the above processes may
be employed. For example, the process of FIG. 3 may be followed,
except for the addition of relatively low level, uniform heating of
the substrate, similar to that performed in process block 24 of
FIG. 2, preceding or following the pattern-wise application of
heat, in order to fix dye materials uniformly over the substrate,
but at a relatively low fixation level, in order to establish a
visually distinguishable background area.
It should be understood that any suitable method for applying
sufficient heat to the substrate to fix the desired quantity of dye
as well as generate thermally induced modifications to the
substrate may be used in connection with this invention. For
example, a laser of the appropriate type may be modulated according
to pattern information and scanned over the surface of the
substrate to induce fixation of the dye and, optionally, fiber
shrinkage, fusing, etc., in a desired pattern configuration. (See
Examples 6 and 7) An infra-red heat source, perhaps used in
conjunction with a mask or stencil defining the desired pattern,
may also be used.
Preferably, the method or means by which the heat may be applied to
the substrate in a pattern-wise configuration to affect a chosen
dye fixation level is one which will result in a controlled,
reproducible quantity of heat being transferred to the pre-selected
areas of the substrate without having an undesired effect on the
substrate, for example, the crushing of the fabric pile if a pile
fabric is used. It is also preferred that the heat be capable of
being uniformly applied across the length and width of the
substrate, and that the heat be capable of being distributed within
the substrate to permit fixation of dye throughout the substrate
structure, when and where such fixation is desired. If maximum
versatility is desired, it is preferred that the heat source be one
which allows for the modulation of the temperature and/or exposure
times within selected portions of the pattern area, which would
permit, for example, gradual shadings or variations in color within
a given pattern area.
One means for applying the requisite amount of heat which has been
found to be particularly advantageous involves the use of
selectively controlled streams of heated fluid, such as hot air,
which impinge on the substrate in a pattern configuration. For
example, a reservoir of pressurized heated air may be closely
positioned across the width of a substrate to which dye has been
applied. Individual streams of relatively hot air may be directed
from the reservoir onto the substrate surface. These individual
streams may be regulated by introducing a second stream of air or
other fluid, at a relatively lower temperature and higher pressure,
into a respective selected stream of the heated air, for purposes
of blocking, diluting, or otherwise interrupting the flow of the
stream of heated air. The individual streams of relatively cool air
may each be controlled by a respective valve which is actuated in
response to pattern information supplied by a computer or other
means. By controlling the actuation and pressure of these cooler
air streams, the amount of heat transferred to selected areas of
the substrate by the hot air can be regulated, for example, by
effectively diluting or rapidly interrupting the hot air stream
before it impinges on the substrate, or by completely blocking or
deflecting the path of the hot air stream. In this way, areas of
the substrate may be subjected to various degrees of heating, and
therefore various levels of dye fixation and thermal modification,
i.e., shrinking, melting, etc., resulting in the capacity to
produce a wide variety of visual surface effects. Examples of
suitable apparatus which may be used for producing streams of
heated air as described above are disclosed in commonly assigned
U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,156 and commonly assigned U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 253,135, filed April 13, 1981, which
disclosures are hereby incorporated by reference.
Use of the process of the present invention may be illustrated by
the following examples, which are specific and not intended to be
limiting. Unless otherwise specified, the apparatus used to apply
the desired heat was one similar in overall operation to the hot
air apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,156 and U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 253,135. The elongate heated air manifold was
positioned approximately 0.20 inches from the substrate surface,
and air heated to approximately the indicated temperature was
directed toward the substrate surface at a pressure of
approximately 0.8 p.s.i.g through a slot which extended along the
length of the manifold. The air temperatures given were measured
immediately prior to the air entering the manifold, and may
therefore be somewhat higher than the temperature of the air which
actually impinged on the substrate. The temperature of the air
needed to achieve the desired results will of course depend upon
the type of dye used, the level of fixation desired, the nature of
the substrate, the nature of the additional thermally induced
modifications desired (if any), etc. The term "sculpturing" as used
hereinbelow is intended as a generic term to include longitudinal
shrinking or localized melting or fusing of individual yarns, or
yarn entangling, or other processes which would result in the
visual patterning of the substrate surface.
EXAMPLE 1
A padding bath was made up according to the following formula:
987.5 grams water, 10 grams of the coloring agent, Foron Blue SBGL
(powdered), a product of Sandoz Color and Chemicals, Inc. of E.
Hanover, N.J. 07936, having a Color Index Name of Disperse Blue 73,
and 2.5 grams of Natrasol EX, a hydroxyethyl cellulose compound
marketed by Hercules, Inc., Wilmington, Del. 19899. Three samples
of fabric were selected, all manufactured by Milliken &
Company, Spartanburg, S.C. 29304, as follows: (1) a nylon-LYCRA
raschel knit (LYCRA is a trademark of E. I. DuPont), identified by
Milliken & Company as Style No. 2410, having a weight of 5.1
oz. per square yard; (2) a 44 gauge double needle bar raschel knit
polyester pile fabric, identified by Milliken & Company as
Style 6590, having a weight of 13.75 oz. per square yard; (3) an
acrylic tufted fabric, identified by Milliken & Company as
Style No. 5299, having a weight of approximately 13 oz. per square
yard and a pile weight of 7.93 oz. per square yard, and a 100%
polyester woven tufting substrate. These fabrics were wet out by
being dipped into the padding bath above and run through a
laboratory padding device set at a pad pressure of 30 lbs. The
fabrics were air dried at 70.degree. F. and processed with streams
of heated air from the apparatus described above. The times given
below represent the maximum time the pattern areas of fabric were
directly impinged by the heated air streams as the fabric passed
under the heated air manifold. Following this processing, the
fabrics were washed in cold water in a household-type washing
machine, using a household laundry product to remove unfixed dye.
The fabrics were then tumble dried in a household-type dryer on a
permanent press setting. The results are as indicated below.
______________________________________ Results Treatment (Coloring/
Temp. Time Sculpturing/ Fabric (.degree.F.) (seconds) Dye in
Background) ______________________________________ nylon-LYCRA knit
850.degree. 0.030 excellent/excellent/ moderate polyester pile
800.degree. 0.055 excellent/excellent/ knit very slight acrylic
tufted 910.degree. 0.036 excellent/excellent/ slight
______________________________________
EXAMPLE 2
The procedures of Example 1 were repeated, except that the coloring
agent in the padding bath was Telon Blue BRL-200 (Color Index Name
Acid Blue 354), a product of Mobay Chemical Co., Dye and Pigment
Division, Union, N.J. 07083. The results are given below.
______________________________________ Results Treatment (Coloring/
Temp. Time Sculpturing/ Fabric (.degree.F.) (seconds) Dye in
Background) ______________________________________ nylon-LYCRA knit
850.degree. 0.030 excellent/excellent/ moderate polyester pile
800.degree. 0.055 poor/excellent/ knit none acrylic tufted
910.degree. 0.036 poor/excellent/ none
______________________________________
EXAMPLE 3
The procedures of Example 1 were repeated, except that the coloring
agent in the padding bath was Basacryl Blue RGL (Color Index Name
Basic Blue 60), a product of BASF Wyandotte, Charlotte, N.C. 28266.
The results are given below.
______________________________________ Results Treatment (Coloring/
Temp. Time Sculpturing/ Fabric (.degree.F.) (seconds) Dye in
Background) ______________________________________ nylon-LYCRA knit
850.degree. 0.030 fair/excellent/ very slight polyester pile
800.degree. 0.055 good/excellent/ knit very slight acrylic tufted
910.degree. 0.036 excellent/excellent/ slight
______________________________________
EXAMPLE 4
The procedures of Example 1 were repeated, except the coloring
agent in the padding bath was Solophenyl Blue 2RL (Color Index Name
Direct Blue 80), a product of Ciba Geigy Corporation, Greensboro,
N.C. 27419. The results are given below.
______________________________________ Results Treatment (Coloring/
Temp. Time Sculpturing/ Fabric (.degree.F.) (seconds) Dye in
Background) ______________________________________ nylon-LYCRA knit
850.degree. 0.030 none/good/none polyester pile 800.degree. 0.055
none/good/none knit acrylic tufted 910.degree. 0.036
poor/good/moderate ______________________________________
EXAMPLE 5
The procedures of Example 1 were followed, except as noted below. A
combination of two dyes, Polyester Yellow 2R (Color Index Name
Disperse Yellow 86) and Polyester Blue BLF (Color Index Name
Disperse Blue 77) both supplied by Eastman Kodak Company,
Rochester, N.Y., were used in the process depicted in FIG. 3. The
dyes were mixed in a 1 part blue to 4 parts yellow ratio (by
volume) prior to application, to achieve a total dye solids
concentration of 1% in water. A small amount of a binder, an
acrylic polymer product of Milliken Chemical, Inman, S.C.,
identified as "PD-75", was also used. The fabric was a flat woven
polyester fabric comprised of 100% textured polyester yarns, having
a weight of 6.3 oz. per square yard, dyed white. This fabric is
identified by Milliken & Company as Style No. 205. The heat
treatment was done by a flat, electrically heated plate.
The dye was applied by a laboratory padder at 30 lbs. pressure to
swatches of the fabric and then air dried at 70.degree. F. until
substantially dry. The individual swatches were then heat treated
by the heated plate for the times and temperatures listed below. A
spectrophotometer (Model II, manufactured by Diana-Hardy
Corporation of Woburn, Mass.) was used to determine the extent to
which each of the two constituent dyes had been fixed under various
conditions. This relative fixation level is indicated in the
columns marked "Yellow Conc." and "Blue Conc.", which give the
relative concentration of the respective dye constituents. The
column marked "B/Y Ratio" give the ratio of blue to yellow dye
which was fixed at the indicated time and temperature. A B/Y Ratio
of 0.25 indicates that the quantity of each dye fixed was
proportional to the quantity of each dye originally applied (the
original dye formulation had a B/Y Ratio of 0.25). Higher
temperatures and/or longer treatment times do not affect this
ratio, but do increase the total quantity of dye which is fixed in
accordance with the 0.25 B/Y Ratio. Accordingly, once the B/Y Ratio
reaches 0.25, higher temperatures and/or longer treatment times
should not change the ratio of blue to yellow dye fixed by the
process or seen by the eye, but instead merely change the "depth"
or "strength" or "saturation" of the color which results from the 1
to 4 mixture of the two dyes. The results are as follows:
______________________________________ Temp. Time Blue Yellow B/Y
Visual (.degree.F.) (Sec) Conc. Conc. Ratio Appearance
______________________________________ 100.degree. 5 0.0090 0.0071
1.26 White 125.degree. 5 0.0193 0.0110 1.75 Very Pale Blue
150.degree. 5 0.0855 0.2880 0.29 Very Light Green 200.degree. 1
0.0212 0.0093 2.20 Very Light Blue 200.degree. 5 0.197 0.818 0.24
Light Green 200.degree. 15 0.202 0.775 0.26 Medium Light Green
200.degree. 30 0.287 1.10 0.26 Medium Green
______________________________________
EXAMPLE 6
The procedures outlined in FIG. 1 were followed, except as noted
below. A laser was used, rather than the apparatus used in Examples
1-5, to apply the requisite heat to the pattern areas. The fabric
used was a previously dyed flat woven polyester, having a weight of
6 oz. per square yard, and comprised of 100% textured polyester
filament yarn. This fabric is identified by Milliken & Company
as Style No. 4920. The dye used was an aqueous dye dispersion
(total dye solids of 6% by weight) of Terasil Black MF-1,
distributed by Ciba Geigy Corporation, Greensboro, N.C. 27419, to
which a small quantity (0.5% by weight) of the acrylic polymer
binder used in Example 5 had been added. The dye was applied using
a laboratory gravure coater, and was air dried at room temperature.
A 55 watt CO.sub.2 laser was focused to a roughly circular spot
size of 0.010 inch in diameter, and the spot was scanned over the
desired pattern area at speeds ranging from 37.6 inches/second to
452 inches/second. The fabric was washed in a household-type
washing machine using a household laundry product to remove unfixed
dye. The fabric was then tumble-dried in a household-type dryer on
a permanent press setting. The resulting fabric showed clear, dark,
precisely defined dyed areas where scanned by the laser. The dyed
areas also exhibited a sculptured effect, resulting from moderate
superficial melting of fibers in the scanned areas. The dyed area
and sculptured areas were in perfect registry. The background areas
remained unchanged.
EXAMPLE 7
The procedures of Example 6 were followed, except for the following
changes. The fabric was a previously dyed 100% polyester napped
pile fabric having a weight of 10 oz. per square yard. This fabric
is identified by Milliken & Company as Style No. 8301. The dye
used was a formulation of 1.28% (weight) Polyester Blue GLF (Color
Index Name Disperse Blue 27), a product of Eastman Chemical
Products, Inc., a Division of Eastman Kodak, Rochester, N.Y., 1.18%
(weight) Terasil Brilliant Pink 2GLA (Color Index Name Disperse Red
86), a product of Ciba Geigy, Greensboro, N.C., 3.54% (weight) of
Terasil Yellow GWL (Color Index Name Disperse Yellow 42), also a
product of Ciba Geigy, 1.0% (weight) Natrasol 250 HHXR, a
cellulosic binding agent, which is a product of Hercules, Inc.,
Wilmington, Del. 19899, and 93% (weight) water. This dye was
applied using a laboratory gravure coater to give a wet add-on of
10%. The wet fabric was then air dried at room temperature. The
laser was scanned at speeds between 18.7 inches/second and 113
inches/second. The resulting dyed fabric exhibited good color
development and well defined, in-registry sculpturing in those
areas scanned by the laser. The background areas remained
unchanged.
EXAMPLE 8
The fabric of Example 7 was dyed using a dye formulation of 4%
(weight) Foron Black EDC (powdered), a product of Sandoz Color and
Chemicals, Inc. of E. Hanover, N.J. 07936, 0.5% (weight) "PD-75",
an acrylic polymer binder distributed by Milliken Chemical, Inman,
S.C., and 95.5% (weight) water. The dye and heat were applied using
the devices and procedures used for the same style fabric in
Example 1. Coloring and sculpturing appeared in perfect
registration, with no visually detectable dye in background
areas.
EXAMPLE 9
An acrylic tufted fabric identified by Milliken & Company as
Style No. 5299 (see Example 1) was dyed using a dye formulation of
2.8% (weight) Terasil Black MF-1, distributed by Ciba Geigy
Corporation Greensboro, N.C. 27419, 0.1% (weight) Natrasol EX, a
hydroxyethyl cellulose compound marketed by Hercules, Inc.,
Wilmington, Del. 19899, 1.0% (weight) "PD-75", an acrylic polymer
binder distributed by Milliken Chemical, Inman, S.C., and 96.9%
(weight) water. The dye and heat were applied using the devices and
procedures used for the same style fabric in Example 1. Coloring
and sculpturing appeared in perfect registration, with no visually
detectable dye in background areas.
* * * * *